(2021-03-05). Dozens of COVID-19 infections shut down Detroit Whole Foods. wsws.org Twenty-three out of 196 workers at a Detroit Whole Foods store tested positive, temporarily shutting the store down.
(2021-03-05). Typical Republican: The Racism and Anti-Science behind Texas Gov. Greg Abbot's Lifting of Covid Restrictions. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott this week lifted the Texas mask mandate and allowed businesses freely to open. Roughly half the deaths and severe illness owing to Covid-19 are among minorities, including African-Americans and Latinos, even though those two groups make up less than a third of Americans. State Sen. Borris …
(2021-03-05). The Impact of COVID-19 on Pediatric Mental Health. globalresearch.ca Summary | The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on mental …
(2021-03-05). Another 745,000 jobless claims filed as Senate takes up Biden's COVID-19 relief bill. wsws.org Historically unprecedented jobless claims continued as Biden and the Democrats move forward with an inadequate "relief" bill…
(2021-03-05). Damning court verdict finds failure to declare hundreds of contracts and that Johnson 'misled Parliament'. thecanary.co The government unlawfully failed to publish details of more than 500 coronavirus-related contracts within the required time, the High Court has said. | Failures: | The Good Law Project took legal action against the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) for its "wholesale failure" to disclose details of contracts agreed during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. | The government is required by law to publish a "contract award notice" within 30 days of the award of any contracts for public goods or services worth more than £120,000. | At a hearing last month, the Good Law Project argued there h…
(2021-03-05). New York Congressmember Mondaire Jones: Israel Should Ensure Palestinians Have Access to COVID Vaccine. democracynow.org 
Israel has failed to make COVID-19 vaccines available to Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, despite its responsibility under the Geneva Conventions. Critics in the United States say this "vaccine apartheid" is another example of Israeli human rights abuses going unpunished, even as the country receives billions in U.S. aid each year. Congressmember Mondaire Jones of New York says Israel must ensure that Palestinians are vaccinated. "There's no question about that," he says. "I don't think that anyone can argue otherwise in good conscience."
(2021-03-05). 460 Dead 243,612 Reported Injuries from COVID-19 Vaccines Reported in the U.K. globalresearch.ca The UK Government's
(2021-03-05). Headlines for March 5, 2021. democracynow.org Republican Senators Work to Derail $1.9 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Bill, White House Defends Biden's Remark That "Neanderthal Thinking" GOP Governors Ended Mask Mandates, New York Gov. Cuomo's Aides Doctored Nursing Home Death Data in July Report on COVID-19, Charlotte Bennett Describes Sexual Harassment by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in TV Interview, Florida Democrats Demand FBI Probe of Gov. Ron DeSantis, Who Prioritized Donors for Vaccination, India, South Africa Ask WTO for Patent Waiver to Allow Generic COVID-19 Drugs & Vaccines, Former Trump Admin Official Charged with Assaulting Cop at January 6 Capitol Riot, Senat…
(2021-03-05). Australia requests review of Italy's Covid-19 vaccine blockade. laprensalatina.com Sydney, Australia, Mar 5 (efe-epa).- Australia on Friday asked the European Commission (EC) to review Italy's decision to block the shipment of 250,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from a facility in the country to the Oceanian nation. "Australia has raised the issue with the European Commission through multiple channels, and in particular, we have …
(2021-03-05). COVID-19 vaccines arrive in Uganda, Mali. yenisafak.com Uganda and Mali on Friday received their first batches of AstraZeneca vaccine donations from the COVAX Facility, a UN initiative to ensure COVID-19 vaccine access to the world's most vulnerable.The first doses in the landlocked country of Uganda will be used to vaccinate people who are most vulnerable and those at more risk such as healthcare workers, security personnel, teachers, and other essential social service providers, said the country's health minister.The Ugandan Health Ministry says it will administer the AstraZeneca vaccine eight weeks apart despite studies showing that a gap of 12 weeks leads to highe…
(2021-03-05). Republican senator forces clerks to read Biden's Covid bill for TEN HOURS, in last-ditch effort to block. rt.com 
Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) has infuriated Democrats by demanding that Senate clerks read each and every page of Joe Biden's $2 trillion Covid-19 relief bill aloud. To some Dems, bills are better passed with no debate. | President Joe Biden's Covid-19 relief bill, which passed the House of Representatives last week, weighs in at a whopping 628 pages. It offers relief checks of $1,400 to eligible Americans, though more than three quarters of its $1.9 trillion
(2021-03-05). Covid-19 has been 'really good' for CNN's ratings, WarnerMedia CEO says at Morgan Stanley conference. rt.com 
While Covid-19 has claimed more than 2.5 million lives worldwide, the chief executive at CNN's parent firm is looking on the bright side, telling a virtual audience the pandemic has been "really good" for the outlet's ratings. | Jason Kilar — the CEO of WarnerMedia, which owns the cable network — appeared at Morgan Stanley's 'Technology, Media and Telecom' virtual conference on Thursday, where he was asked about CNN and whether it could keep up its current momentum. | "I'd say that it turns out that pandemic is a pretty big part of the news cycle, and that's not going away anytime soon," he replied,…
(2021-03-05). US ruling class moves to remove remaining restrictions as pandemic continues to spread. indybay.org While the federal CDC has criticized Texas for ending all COVID-19 restrictions, the Biden administration policy of reopening all schools will have the same effect of spreading the pandemic.
(2021-03-05). New England Journal of Medicine: Decarceration Necessary to Stop Spread of Covid. indybay.org Summarized below is an article in the New England Journal of Medicine published on March 3, 2021 "Vaccination plus Decarceration — Stopping Covid-19 in Jails and Prisons." Link here to full article, may require a subscription.
(2021-03-05). Mumia Health Update / March 6 Global Virtual Street Meeting. indybay.org On Saturday Mumia Abu-Jamal was hospitalized. When he put in a sick call slip and was seen by the SCI Mahanoy medical staff he was taken immediately to the hospital suffering chest pain and shortness of breath. Diagnosed with congestive heart failure he was given a battery of tests…At the hospital his seriology blood test was positive for Covid-19.
(2021-03-05). US economy adds 379,000 jobs, unemployment at 6.2%. yenisafak.com The US economy added 379,000 jobs and the unemployment rate fell to 6.2% in February, the Department of Labor announced Friday.The market estimate for nonfarm payrolls was an increase of 182,000 for February, while job losses for January were revised up by 117,000, from 49,000 to 166,000, according to data by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.The unemployment rate also managed to beat the market expectation as the consensus for it was to remain unchanged at 6.3% in February from the previous month.The number of unemployed individuals in the US decreased to 10 million last month. Due to COVID-19, more than 22 million…
(2021-03-05). EU okays $155M for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan. yenisafak.com The EU will support Syrian refugees and host communities in Jordan and Lebanon with ‚Ǩ130 million ($155 million), the bloc announced on Friday.The EU adopted a ‚Ǩ130 million package to help Syrian refugees and hosting local communities in Jordan and Lebanon in providing social protection, healthcare, education and sanitization.‚Ä®Lebanon will receive ‚Ǩ98 million, while Jordan will get ‚Ǩ32 million.‚Ä®The support also aims at helping the COVID-19 vaccination in Lebanon, as well as assisting the reconstruction of…
(2021-03-05). #LettersToBessemer: Black Workers Matter. workers.org 
From People's Power Assembly NYC and Workers Assembly Against Racism: Since early February 2021, a Black women-led unionizing struggle has been happening in a Bessemer, Ala., Amazon warehouse. They've organized in response to dangerous working conditions including: 1) dangerously inadequate COVID-19 protocols; 2) no hazard pay, even as essential workers . . . |
(2021-03-05). Mumia has COVID-19 — the only treatment is his freedom! workers.org 
Word has come that Pennsylvania political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal has tested positive for COVID-19. Supporters learned of the diagnosis March 3, as they were gathered in front of the office of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner to call for Abu-Jamal's release and that of all incarcerated people over 50, who . . . |
(2021-03-05). Bad Stimulus: the Problems with Biden's COVID Relief Package. counterpunch.org The new Democratic administration is poised to make its first proud step in delivering on its electoral promise to build back (America) better: the successful adoption of a $1.9 trillion stimulus package, the main components of which are a third round of stimulus checks, a renewal of federal unemployment benefits, and a boost to the
(2021-03-05). Snatching Conceit From the Jaws of Victory. counterpunch.org "Why are we wasting vaccinations on Texas if Texas has decided to join the side of the virus?" — Keith Olbermann "Texas—we hear you. You didn't want to be part of our electrical grid. And now you've removed your mask mandate & are allowing large crowds to gather. We hear you! COVID is a hoax!
(2021-03-05). Man Utd legend tackling homelessness with Covid-safe pods. laprensalatina.com By Clà udia Sacrest Stoke-on-Trent (UK), Mar 5 (efe-epa).- Dignified housing pods set up in a large industrial warehouse in the English city of Stoke-on-Trent offer homeless people an opportunity to take the first step away from life on the street. Former Manchester United legend and Scotland international Lou Macari founded the initiative four years ago …
(2021-03-05). Corona vaccines-nothing would work without public funding. indybay.org "The Covid 19 crisis is a perfect test of whether a more public health approach to innovation and production will prevail in the years ahead. Although recent vaccine news has raised hopes, it has also exposed the broken business model of the pharmaceutical industry and cast doubt on the prospects of getting a vaccine to people and achieving the concept of 'health for all.'" (Ms. Mazzucato)…
(2021-03-05). South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem Is a Deadlier, More Delusional Alternative to Trump. thenation.com South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem Is a Deadlier, More Delusional Alternative to Trump…
(2021-03-05). Pope arrives in Iraq for historic trip amid Covid, security risks. laprensalatina.com Baghdad, Mar 5 (efe-epa).- Pope Francis arrived in Baghdad on Friday for the first ever papal visit to Iraq, and his first trip abroad since the start of the coronavirus pandemic last year. He will meet members of the country's Christian minority community which was persecuted by the Islamic State that occupied parts of Iraq …
(2021-03-05). Rev. William Barber to Democrats: Overrule the Senate Parliamentarian & Pass the $15 Minimum Wage. democracynow.org 
The Senate has voted to open debate on President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. The legislation has widespread support from voters, with one new poll showing 77% of Americans support the bill, including nearly 60% of Republicans. But the Senate bill has some key differences from the package approved by the House, including a reduction in the number of people eligible for direct stimulus checks and no provision to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. However, the Fight for 15 continues, with the Senate considering an amendment by Senator Bernie Sanders to raise the minimum wage fro…
(2021-03-05). UK must invest to keep up with RNA vaccine revolution — Robin Shattock. imperial.ac.uk Professor Robin Shattock says the UK needs to invest more in RNA vaccine technology to better prepare us for future pandemics.
(2021-03-05). Ph.D university entrance exam. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Mar. 05 (MNA) — This year's Ph.D university entrance exam started on Friday morning. The following photos show the students doing the test at Shahid Beheshti University of Tehran (SBU) while wearing a face mask amid the pandemic.
(2021-03-05). "Complete Loss of Trust": Half of French Home Health Workers Say They'll Resist Taking Vaccine. globalresearch.ca Astounding new figures out of France suggest what is no doubt …
(2021-03-05). The Private Health Insurance Industry: Should It Be Eliminated? counterpunch.org 
Many Americans assume that the private health insurance industry is an unmovable fixture in the U. S. health care system, but there is a growing need to re-examine that premise. Over recent decades, its performance has been increasingly profit-driven to the point of now becoming unaffordable for patients, their families, employers and taxpayers. The time
(2021-03-05). Hell in Every Way: My Life Inside a Temporary Refugee Camp on Lesbos. counterpunch.org In this temporary camp on Lesbos, the singles have been separated from the families. In the singles section in the early days we had little access to electricity. They brought water to the camp by tanker. The bathrooms were very few and smelled foul. After a while a healthcare facility was set up. Access to
(2021-03-05). Mass slow handclap urged in protest over proposed 1% pay rise for NHS workers. thecanary.co The public is being urged to join a mass slow handclap against the Government's proposed 1% rise for NHS staff. | Unison said people should stand on their doorsteps and balconies to protest next Thursday (11 March) at 8pm to show what they think about the planned "derisory" wage increase. | The gesture of support for NHS workers should be repeated three weeks later on 1 April, the day staff were due to have their next wage increase, said the union. | "Let's now stand up for their right to fair wages": | Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: "Millions stood on doorsteps and clapped for health sta…
(2021-03-05). Industrial action threat amid anger over 1% pay rise for NHS workers. thecanary.co A leading union has warned of industrial action amid mounting anger over the Government's recommendation of a 1% pay rise for nurses and other health workers. | Unite, which represents tens of thousands of health service staff, said it will now be considering all its options, including holding an industrial action ballot, as part of its campaign for a decent pay rise. | The government sparked fresh anger on Friday when it defended its call for pay to be pegged at 1%. | Health Minister Nadine Dorries said the Government could not afford to give NHS staff in England a pay rise of more than 1% following the revelati…
(2021-03-05). Wednesday 3/10: Mental Health & Communities of Color: From Stigma to Solutions. indybay.org Online event…
(2021-03-05). "Elephant In the Room" SF Board Of Supervisor's Hearing On Health Crisis At TI. indybay.org At an San Francisco Board of Supervisors special hearing on February 8, 2021 residents and whistleblowers from Treasure Island reported on the massive contamination, health problems and over-up by the City, State and Federal government of the Superfund nuclear radioactive dump site. It was used as a nuclear war training facility for sailor and the Island is now a major contraction zone for 8,000 condos despite the dangers according to residents and inspectors. | City officials from DPH said they can't help the residents and the Navy was a no show.
(2021-03-05). Women live longer, but have fewer healthy years in Turkey. yenisafak.com Women in Turkey live longer lives than men on average but enjoy nearly four fewer healthy years, according to statistics released in the runup to next Monday's International Women's Day.Based on data from 2017-2019, at birth women in Turkey are set to enjoy 55.4 years of healthy life, versus 59.1 years for males, said the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) on Friday.But the data said women's life expectancy at birth is 5.4 years longer than men's."Life expectancy at birth was 78.6 years for the overall population, 81.3 years for females and 75.9 years for males," it said.Women make up 49.9% of Turkey's tota…
(2021-03-05). Top Pentagon commander requests astronomical sum of money to prepare for war with China. liberationnews.org 
The funding increase that Davidson is seeking for his command — not the total allocation — is greater than the entire budget of the whole armed forces of Brazil.
(2021-03-05). Gulf Coast says: Support #BAmazon Union! workers.org 
By Sean Miller Members of Black Voters Matter, Workers World Party-Central Gulf Coast branch and others hosted a Feb. 20 rally in downtown Pensacola, Fla., in support of the Bessemer, Ala., Amazon workers union drive. Joining over 50 other cities in a Day of Solidarity actions, they spoke out for . . . |
(2021-03-05). Israel: Orthodox Religious Parties Shaken by Supreme Court Ruling on Law of Return. mintpressnews.com 
The Israeli Supreme Court ruling on the application of the Law of Return threatens ultimate dilution of the political power of Israel's Orthodox religious parties, and thus has the potential to shake up the upcoming election's dynamics.
(2021-03-05). Rep. Mondaire Jones: Voting Rights Bill H.R. 1 Is of "Foundational Importance" to U.S. Democracy. democracynow.org 
The House of Representatives has approved sweeping legislation protecting the right to vote with the For the People Act, which has been described as the most sweeping pro-democracy bill in decades. The legislation is aimed at improving voter registration and access to voting, ending partisan and racial gerrymandering, forcing the disclosure of dark money donors, increasing public funding for candidates, and imposing strict ethical and reporting standards on members of Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court. The bill, which comes amid a nationwide attack on voting rights in courthouses and statehouses, is heading to…
(2021-03-05). Killer Kim Reynolds and the Fascist State of Iowa. counterpunch.org 
The affluent and older white male "leftists" who minimize the threat posed by the ever more fascistic Republican Party tend to live in big "blue" cities where the Amerikaner Republivolk are a distinct minority. Some of these privileged urbanites might want to spend some time in a pandemo-fascist white-supremacist state like Iowa, which sent Steve
(2021-03-05). What the Ecuadoran Elections Mean for the U.S. counterpunch.org 
The pink tide is coming back in — much to the chagrin of many in the U.S. government. With leftist governments in Bolivia, Venezuela, Argentina, Nicaragua, Mexico and Cuba, the prospect of yet another, this time in Ecuador, doubtless keeps regime changers, right-wing think tankers and other assorted Washington imperialists up at night. All those leftists the U.S. had murdered over the years, all the death squads the U.S. gave the nod to, all those dictators the North American empire supported — for what? After generations of slaughter, the victims' heirs keep taking over. The U.S. sponsored the exterm…
(2021-03-05). "We Do This 'Til We Free Us": Mariame Kaba on Abolishing Police, Prisons & Moving Toward Justice. democracynow.org 
Outrage over police brutality and the mass incarceration of Black and Brown people has generated calls to defund and abolish the police. Longtime organizer Mariame Kaba's new book, titled "We Do This 'Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice," brings together collected essays, interviews and other writings that she and numerous collaborators produced between 2014 — the year of the uprisings in Ferguson, Missouri, over the police killing of Michael Brown — and today. Kaba says the book grapples with "the fact that so many people around the country recognize the complete and utte…
(2021-03-05). The case for abolition, for skeptics. mronline.org 
In the final piece of the series, NLG Anti-Racism Committee Co-Chair and one of the proponents of the 2020 policing resolution Kira Kelley makes the case for the abolition of policing and offers examples of individuals and projects taking power and resources away from police and prisons to create non-carceral, non-punitive alternatives.
(2021-03-05). Failing Upward: Pentagon's more and more Expensive Boondoggles (that don't even work). juancole.com 
( Tomdispatch.com) — Cancel culture is a common, almost viral, term in political and social discourse these days. Basically, somebody expresses views considered to be outrageous or vile or racist or otherwise insensitive and inappropriate. In response, that person is "canceled," perhaps losing a job or otherwise sidelined and silenced. In being deplatformed by Twitter, …
(2021-03-05). Abbott forces Texas "OPEN 100%" just weeks after deadly storm. liberationnews.org 
Abbott has billed the new order as a victory for "freedom," even as he undermines cities' freedom to protect their own populations with mask mandates and protective measures.
(2021-03-05). From the Murder of Berta Cáceres to the Dam Disaster in Uttarakhand. counterpunch.org 
March 2, 2021 was the five year anniversary of the murder of Berta Cáceres, who opposed the Agua Zarca dam in Honduras. That date was less than one month after the deaths of dozens of people from Tehri Dam disaster in Uttarakhand, India. The two stories together tell us far more about consequences of the insatiable greed of capitalism for more energy than either narrative does by itself.
(2021-03-05). The Odyssey of An Wei, the Forest Gump of China. counterpunch.org 
The story of An Wei overlaps almost perfectly with the story of Communist China. Born in a small village some distance from the northwestern city of Xian, An Wei was seven years old when Mao took control of the country in 1949. As the son of peasants, he was part of the first generation of
(2021-03-05). Economic Growth is the Cause of Climate Change, Not the Solution to It. counterpunch.org 
Through 2019, the last year for which data is available, greenhouse gas emissions and global GDP growth remained as highly correlated as they have been for the last half century. What this means is that despite the rhetorical back-and-forth over technological innovation and government policies as potential solutions to climate change, the role of economic
(2021-03-05). UN expert warns counter-terror policies led to 'further stigmatisation' of Muslims. middleeasteye.net 
UN expert warns counter-terror policies led to 'further stigmatisation' of Muslims | UN Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed said Islamophobia has reached 'epidemic proportions' across the world | Fri, 03/05/2021 – 16: 21 | UN expert Ahmed Shaheed said Muslim women face the triple threat of discrimination due to their gender, ethnicity, and religion (AFP) | A United Nations expert has warned that counter-ter…
